Method and system for capturing high-purity CO2 in a hydrocarbon facility

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of methods for capturing high-purity CO 2  in a hydrocarbon facility and related systems are provided. The method comprises operating a hydrogen plant to generate a high-purity hydrogen stream and a CO 2  rich stream with a CO 2  concentration above 30%; introducing the high-purity hydrogen stream into an anode of a molten carbonate fuel cell; introducing the CO 2  rich stream and O 2  into a cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell; reacting CO 2  and O 2  within the cathode to produce carbonate and a cathode exhaust stream from a cathode outlet; reacting carbonate from the cathode with H 2  within the anode to produce electricity and an anode exhaust stream from an anode outlet, the anode exhaust stream comprising CO 2  and H 2 O; separating the CO 2  in the anode exhaust stream in one or more separators to form a pure CO 2  stream and a H 2 O stream; and collecting the pure CO 2  stream.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/730,322 filed Oct. 11, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and systems for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility and more specifically relate to operating a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) with the H₂ generated from a hydrogen plant to manage CO₂ produced in the hydrogen plants while generating electricity.

Technical Background

Hydrogen is commonly produced in oil refineries and other hydrocarbon treatment facilities as part of plant operations. The hydrogen is generally produced by steam reforming, partial oxidation, auto-thermal reforming and non-catalytic partial oxidation of light hydrocarbons. The hydrogen production process additionally produces CO₂. The hydrogen and CO₂ may be separated yielding a stream of waste CO₂ and other non-hydrogen constituents such as methane (CH₄) and CO. Common practice is to simply recycle the CO₂ containing stream back to a steam reformer to utilize any non-converted methane and produce more hydrogen, recycle the CO₂ containing stream to a centralized fuel gas system, or vent the CO₂ containing stream to the atmosphere. Each of these processes of utilizing the CO₂ is inefficient and wasteful as the CO₂ does not contribute to effective combustion in the steam reformer or centralized fuel gas system yet carries an immense amount of thermal energy from heating. Additionally, simply venting the CO₂ to the atmosphere is environmentally undesirable with the global warming and CO₂ emission concerns as well as the vast amount of thermal energy lost from venting heated CO₂.

Accordingly, ongoing needs exist for methods and related systems of capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility and concurrently reducing CO₂ emissions.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a method for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility. Hydrogen and carbon dioxide from a hydrogen plant as well as oxygen are provided to a molten carbonate fuel cell. The carbon dioxide and oxygen form carbonate in the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell. The carbonate passes through a molten carbonate electrolyte of the molten carbonate fuel cell and into the anode. The carbonate and hydrogen from the hydrogen plant reacts with the carbonate in the anode to form carbon dioxide and water generating electrons, which are used to generate electricity. In essence, the present method and associate system is able to generate a high purity carbon dioxide stream and electricity from the hydrogen and impure carbon dioxide formed in the hydrogen plant. The generated electricity from the molten carbonate fuel cell may then ultimately be utilized for the operation of the other components of the system. The methods and systems of the present disclosure have industrial applicability, specifically in the Oil, Gas and Power industries by reducing CO₂ emissions, generating usable electrical power, and generating a useful pure CO₂ stream.

According to one embodiment, a method for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility is provided. The method includes operating a hydrogen plant to generate a high-purity hydrogen stream and a CO₂ rich stream with a CO₂ concentration above 30%, introducing the high-purity hydrogen stream into an anode of a molten carbonate fuel cell, introducing the CO₂ rich stream and O₂ into a cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell, reacting CO₂ and O₂ within the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to produce carbonate and a cathode exhaust stream from a cathode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell, reacting carbonate from the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell with H₂ within the anode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to produce electricity and an anode exhaust stream from an anode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell, the anode exhaust stream comprising CO₂ and H₂O, and separating the CO₂ in the anode exhaust stream in one or more separators to form a pure CO₂ stream and a H₂O stream, the pure CO₂ stream having a purity of 80% to 100% on a molar basis; and collecting the pure CO₂ stream.

In a further embodiment, a system for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility is provided. The system includes a hydrogen plant to generate a high-purity hydrogen stream at a high-purity hydrogen stream outlet and a CO₂ rich stream with a CO₂ concentration above 30% at a CO₂ rich stream outlet, a molten carbonate fuel cell comprising an anode, a cathode, and a molten carbonate electrolyte, and a separator. The high-purity hydrogen stream outlet is operatively connected to the anode of a molten carbonate fuel cell. The CO₂ rich stream outlet is operatively connected to the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell. An O₂ source stream is operatively connected to the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell. The molten carbonate fuel cell is configured for reaction of CO₂ from the hydrogen plant and O₂ from the O₂ source stream within the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to produce carbonate and a cathode exhaust stream from a cathode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell. The molten carbonate fuel cell is configured for reaction of the carbonate from the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell with H₂ from the hydrogen plant within the anode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to produce electricity and an anode exhaust stream from an anode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell, the anode exhaust stream comprising CO₂ and H₂O. Finally, the separator includes a separator inlet operatively connected to the anode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell, a pure CO₂ outlet, and a water outlet, the separator configured to separate the anode exhaust stream to form a pure CO₂ stream and a H₂O stream, the pure CO₂ stream having a purity of 80% to 100% on a molar basis.

Additional features and advantages of the embodiments described herein will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the embodiments described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description describe various embodiments and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed subject matter. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the various embodiments, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate the various embodiments described herein, and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a system for capturing and purifying CO₂ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a system for capturing and purifying CO₂ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the method for capturing CO₂ to produce high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility of the present disclosure and associated system. Though the CO₂ capture systems 5 of FIGS. 1 and 2 are provided as exemplary, it should be understood that the present systems and methods encompass other configurations.

Hydrogen is produced in oil refineries and other hydrocarbon treatment facilities by a variety of methods. These methods of producing hydrogen include steam reforming, partial oxidation, auto-thermal reforming and non-catalytic partial oxidation of light hydrocarbons as well as other non-conventional methods.

In one or more embodiments, H₂ and CO₂ are produced via sequential steam reforming and a water gas shift. Specifically, in steam reforming, H₂ and CO are produced in a 3:1 ratio from methane (CH₄) and water. The combination of H₂ and CO is commonly referenced as syngas. Steam reforming produces the H₂ and CO from equimolar quantities of CH₄ and H₂O in accordance with Reaction 1. CH₄+H₂O→3H₂+CO  (Reaction 1) To enhance overall H₂ production, the produced syngas from Reaction 1 undergoes a water gas shift step. In the water gas shift, CO is converted to CO₂ in accordance with Reaction 2. CO+H₂O→H₂+CO₂  (Reaction 2)

The hydrogen gas (H₂) generated from the sequential steam reforming and water gas shift or other hydrogen production method may be separated and purified. H₂ purification may be achieved using a variety of CO₂ removal and H₂ separation systems, where a CO₂ rich stream is produced. The CO₂ rich stream may have a concentration of up to 75% CO₂ along with a mixture of other gases. The purification and separation of the H₂ is completed in a hydrogen plant where a high-purity hydrogen stream and the CO₂ rich stream are generated.

Traditionally, the CO₂ rich stream generated at the hydrogen plant is recycled back to the steam reformer for inclusion with a feed to the reformer burners or vented to the atmosphere. Recycling the CO₂ back to the reformer increases the overall energy consumption of the hydrocarbon plant as the CO₂ serves as an energy carrier in the form of heat without any benefit for the overall process. The CO₂ is heated, but the heating serves a beneficial purpose as the CO₂ is simply vented to the atmosphere directly from the purification and separation process in the hydrogen plant or after passing through the reformer burner and out the burner's vent stack. The vented CO₂ also has the added detriment of the environmental impact of releasing CO₂ into the environment. Further, the vented CO₂ may also deteriorate the burners of the steam reformer and the associated tubing die to the corrosive nature of CO₂ when steam is present. As such, the CO₂ rich stream is utilized in conjunction with a portion of the high-purity hydrogen stream in a molten carbonate fuel cell to produce a high-purity CO₂ stream and generate electricity.

In one or more embodiments, a method for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility includes operating a hydrogen plant 10 to generate the high-purity hydrogen stream 12 and the CO₂ rich stream 14 having a CO₂ concentration above 25%. The high-purity hydrogen stream 12 is then introduced into an anode 22 of a molten carbonate fuel cell 20. Concurrently, the CO₂ rich stream 14 along with oxygen (02) 18 is introduced into a cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20. The CO₂ and O₂ are reacted within the cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 to produce carbonate and a cathode exhaust stream 30 from a cathode outlet 32 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20. Subsequently, carbonate from the cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 passes through a molten carbonate electrolyte 26 and reacts with H₂ at the anode 22 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 to produce electricity and an anode exhaust stream 40 provided from an anode outlet 42 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20. The anode exhaust stream 40 may comprise CO₂ and H₂O. In one or more separators 50, CO₂ is separated from the anode exhaust stream 40 to form a pure CO₂ stream 52 and an H₂O stream 54. The pure CO₂ stream 52 may be collected as a food grade CO₂, for example.

Each step of the embodiments of the methods for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility are now provided in further detail.

In one or more embodiments, the hydrogen plant 10 is a Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) system. With reference to FIG. 1, a PSA system comprises a plurality of vessels 110 where selective gas adsorption on adsorbent materials occurs in adsorption beds. The adsorption is a function of the partial pressure of the gas components, the operating temperature, and the physiochemical properties of the gas components and the adsorbent material. The PSA system separates hydrogen from other gases based on the weak adsorption bond strength with the adsorbent of the H₂ gas. Highly volatile components with low polarity, like Hz, are substantially non-adsorbable compared to molecules such as CO₂ and other impurities such as Hz, CH₄, H₂O, and CO which are expected in a feed stream 16 to the PSA system. The disparate polarity and adsorption in the adsorption beds results in a high-purity H₂ stream 12 and a separate CO₂ rich stream 14 comprising CO₂ and impurities exiting the PSA system.

The PSA system may include multiple variations. In at least one embodiment, the PSA comprises 4 to 12 vessels 110 for selective gas adsorption. In further embodiments, the PSA comprises 1 to 20 vessels 110, 2 to 16 vessels 110, 3 to 14 vessels 110, or 5 to 10 vessels 110. It will be appreciated that the number of vessels 110 may be varied based on the flow rate of the feed stream 16 to the PSA system, the size of each vessel 110, the relative concentration of gases in the feed stream 16 to the PSA system, and other parameters. In various embodiments, the adsorbent material of each adsorption bed comprises alumina oxide, silica gel, activated carbon, or molecular sieves for CO and N₂.

Operation of the PSA system generates the high-purity H₂ stream 12 and the separate CO₂ rich stream 14. In various embodiments, the high-purity H₂ stream 12 from the PSA system comprises at least 95% hydrogen gas, at least 98% hydrogen gas, at least 99% hydrogen gas, at least 99.5% hydrogen gas, at least 99.9% hydrogen gas, or at least 99.95% hydrogen gas. In various separate or concurrent embodiments, the CO₂ rich stream 14 from the PSA system comprises 25 to 75% CO₂, 25 to 55% CO₂, 35 to 55% CO₂, or 45 to 55% CO₂. The CO₂ rich stream 14 may further comprise one or more of H₂, CH₄, H₂O, and CO.

In one or more embodiments, the hydrogen plant 10 is a Benfield system. With reference to FIG. 2, a Benfield system comprises an absorber 210 and a stripper 220. CO₂ is absorbed at the absorber 210 and then stripped at the stripper 220 to separate CO₂ and H₂ in a feed stream 16 to the Benfield system. Specifically, a solvent is utilized as an absorbent which absorbs CO₂ from converted syngas in the absorber 210 and then the solvent is passed to the stripper 220 where the solvent is heated to release the CO₂. In at least one embodiment, the solvent is potassium carbonate. The potassium carbonate absorbs CO₂ at high pressure to produce potassium bicarbonate in accordance with Reaction 3. K₂CO₃+CO₂+H₂O→2KHCO₃  (Reaction 3) The potassium bicarbonate is passed to the stripper 220 where the potassium bicarbonate is heated at low pressure to release CO₂ and regenerate the potassium carbonate in a reverse of Reaction 3. The feed 230 of the potassium bicarbonate from the absorber 210 to the stripper 220 and the return feed 240 of the potassium carbonate from the stripper to the absorber may pass through a heat exchanger 250 to transfer heat between the feed 230 and return feed 240 and reduce required external energy consumption of the Benfield system.

In at least one embodiment, the potassium carbonate may absorb the CO₂ in accordance with Reaction 3 at the operating pressure of the reformer converting methane and water to syngas in accordance with Reaction 1. For example, the potassium carbonate may absorb the CO₂ at a pressure of 275 to 350 pounds per square inch (psi) at an inlet temperature of approximately 700 to 1000° F. (371 to 538° C.) and outlet temperature of approximately 1400 to 1600° F. (760 to 871° C.). In one or more embodiments, the Benfield system may utilize sodium carbonate in lieu or in addition to potassium carbonate. Subsequently, the generated bicarbonate solution is heated to approximately 200 to 250° F. (93 to 121° C.) and a pressure of approximately 0.5 to 4 psi to release the CO₂ and return the potassium bicarbonate to potassium carbonate for return to the absorber 210 for reaction with further CO₂.

In one or more embodiments, the Benfield system may additionally utilize an amine in combination with the potassium carbonate to accelerate the absorption rate of CO₂ by the potassium carbonate.

In various embodiments, hydrogen may be also produced through other methods such as electrochemical purification system or a porous metal membrane system.

The CO₂ rich stream 14 generated in the hydrogen plant 10 may be utilized to produce a pure CO₂ stream 52, an H₂O stream 54, and generate power. Implementation of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 may utilize the CO₂ rich stream 14 and a portion of the high-purity hydrogen stream 12 from the hydrogen plant 10 to convert the CO₂ rich stream 14 from low to high quality. Specifically, the CO₂ rich stream 14 may be processed by utilization in the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 to generate a stream of substantially pure CO₂ 52.

With reference to FIG. 3, a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) 20 comprises an anode 22, a cathode 24, and a molten carbonate electrolyte 26. Due to the high operating temperatures of MCFC's 20, the materials of the various components need to be specifically selected to survive the conditions present within the fuel cell.

In one or more embodiments, the anode 22 comprises a porous nickel (Ni) based alloy. In various embodiments, Ni may be alloyed with either Chromium (Cr) or Aluminum (Al) to form the Ni based alloy. The alloying metal may be added to the Ni at a range of approximately 2 to 10 percent by weight. It will be appreciated that other transition metal alloys, such as nickel alloys, are also suitable for utilization as an anode 22 in the MCFC 20 with selection dependent on the fuel composition. In one or more embodiments, the anode 22 may comprise pores with an average dimension of approximately 0.1 to 10 micrometers (μm). In further embodiments, the anode 22 may comprises comprise pores with an average dimension of approximately 3 to 6 μm. The anode 22 may also comprise a total porosity of approximately 45 to 70% by volume.

In one or more embodiments, the cathode 24 comprises a porous Ni that is converted to a lithiated nickel oxide. A lithiated nickel oxide comprises lithium intercalated within a NiO crystal structure. In one or more embodiments, the pore size within the cathode 24 is in the range of approximately 1 to 20 μm. In further embodiments, the pore size within the cathode 24 is in the range of approximately 7 to 15 μm. The cathode 24 may also comprise a total porosity of approximately 60 to 70% by volume. The NiO of the cathode 24 may suffer dissolution from reaction with CO₂ when the cathode 24 is in contact with the molten carbonate electrolyte 26. This dissolution may lead to precipitation of Ni metal in the electrolyte 26 which is undesirable as Ni metal is electrically conductive and could result in the MCFC 20 being short circuited. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed the addition of MgO to the NiO cathode 24 may limit this dissolution by reducing the solubility of Ni²⁺ in the cathode 24 and a commensurate decrease of precipitation in the electrolyte 26. In a further embodiment, the cathode 24 may comprise a LiFeO₂—LiCoO₂—NiO alloy which almost completely avoids the problem of Ni dissolution of the cathode 24.

In one or more embodiments, the molten carbonate electrolyte 26 comprises a liquid electrolyte of molten carbonate. In various embodiments, the molten carbonate comprises a lithium (Li) carbonate, a sodium (Na) carbonate, a potassium (K) carbonate, or a combination thereof. In one or more embodiments, the molten carbonate is supported by a ceramic matrix, such as LiAlO₂, to contain the molten carbonate of the molten carbonate electrolyte 26 between the anode 22 and cathode 24. The elevated operating temperature of the MCFC 20 is required to produce sufficient ionic conductivity of oxygen through the molten carbonate electrolyte 26. In one or more embodiments, the molten carbonate electrolyte 26 comprises approximately 50 to 62% Li₂CO₃ and 38 to 50% K₂CO₃. A greater fraction of Li carbonate is used due to its higher ionic conductivity, but is limited to 62% due to its lower gas solubility and ionic diffusivity of oxygen. In one or more embodiments, a sodium carbonate is utilized where the molten carbonate electrolyte comprises approximately 50 to 62% Li₂CO₃ and 38 to 50% Na₂CO₃.

In operation, the CO₂ rich stream 14 and O₂ 18 are introduced into the cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20. The resulting CO₂ and O₂ mixture is converted to CO₃ ²⁻ ionic species in the cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20. The conversion of CO₂ and O₂ to CO₃ ²⁻ is completed in accordance with Reaction 4. CO₂+O₂+2e ⁻→CO₃ ²⁻  (Reaction 4)

Carbonate ionic species (CO₃ ²⁻) formed in the cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 from CO₂ and O₂ subsequently migrate toward the anode 22 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 through the molten carbonate electrolyte 26.

The high-purity hydrogen stream 12 from the hydrogen plant 10 is introduced into the anode 22 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20. The high-purity hydrogen stream 12 is oxidized by the CO₃ ²⁻ which was passed from the cathode 24, through the molten carbonate electrolyte 26, and into the anode 22. The carbonate ionic species and the hydrogen react in accordance with Reaction 5 to produce CO₂, water, and electricity. H₂+CO₃ ²⁻→CO₂+H₂O+2e ⁻  (Reaction 5)

The high-purity hydrogen stream 12 fed to the anode 22 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 may comprise up to 5% of non-H₂ components in various embodiments. For example, the high-purity hydrogen stream 12 may comprise one or more of water, unconverted hydrocarbon, CO, and CO₂ in addition to the H₂. The impurities in the high-purity hydrogen stream 12 may affect the efficiency of the anode 22 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 as a result of carbon deposition during operation. However, the degradation may be minimized with utilization of tolerant anode materials. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) may also be present as an impurity in the hydrogen stream 12. The sulfur from SO₂ may react with Ni or with the other metals in the anode and form NiS species that are electrochemically inactive resulting in MCFC degradation. Additionally, other inert impurities, such as Ar or N₂, may exit the anode with the produced CO₂.

The introduction of the CO₂ rich stream 14 and O₂ 18 into the cathode 24 produces carbonate and a cathode exhaust stream 30. As previously indicated, the produced carbonate passes through the molten carbonate electrolyte 26, but the remaining constituents of the feed to the cathode 24 and other reaction products are passed through the cathode outlet 32 as the cathode exhaust stream 30. In one or more embodiments, the cathode exhaust stream 30 comprises methane (CH₄), hydrogen (H₂), and water (H₂O). In some embodiments, the cathode exhaust stream 30 additionally comprises unreacted oxygen (O₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the introduced CO₂ rich stream 14 and the O₂ feed 18.

The O₂ 18 may be introduced into the cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 in a variety of manners. In one or more embodiments, pure or substantially pure O₂ 18 is introduced directly into the cathode 24 or the CO₂ rich stream 14 before entering the cathode 24. In one or more further embodiments, the O₂ 18 is introduced into the cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 as a constituent component of air in an air stream. Introduction of air directly into the cathode 24 or introduction into the CO₂ rich stream 14 before entering the cathode 24 provides oxygen as air typically comprises approximately 20.95% by volume O₂.

In one or more embodiments, the ratio of CO₂ to O₂ in the MCFC is approximately 80 to 20 on a molar basis. In various embodiments, CO₂ comprises 50 to 80 mole percentage of the feed to the cathode 24 and O₂ comprises 20 to 50 mole percentage of the feed to the cathode 24. The CO₂ generally is present at a large molar percentage than the O₂ as CO₂ activation is more difficult than O₂.

The introduction of the high-purity hydrogen stream 12 into the anode 22 produces CO₂ and H₂O when reacted with the carbonate passed from the cathode 24 to the anode 22 through the molten carbonate electrolyte 26. The produced CO₂ and H₂O form the anode exhaust stream 40 and are exhausted from the anode 22 at the anode outlet 42.

The anode exhaust stream 40 is passed to one or more separators 50 to form a pure CO₂ stream 52 and a H₂O stream 54. The separators 50 remove the H₂O from the anode exhaust stream 40 leaving pure CO₂. The pure CO₂ stream 52 may subsequently be collected and utilized in industry, for examples as a source of food grade CO₂. In one or more embodiments, the separator 50 condenses the H₂O from the anode exhaust stream 40 to form the H₂O stream 54 and the pure CO₂ stream 52.

In various embodiments, the pure CO₂ stream 52 passed from the separators 50 comprises a CO₂ concentration of at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 99%, at least 99.9%, or at least 99.95%. In some embodiments, the pure CO₂ stream 52 comprises a concentration of hydrocarbons of less than 1%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.1%, less than 0.01%, or less than 0.005%. Similarly, in some embodiments, the pure CO₂ stream 52 comprises a concentration of sulfur-based constituents, such as SO₂, of less than 1%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.1%, less than 0.01%, or less than 0.005%.

In one or more embodiments, the H₂O stream 54 from the separator 50 is provided to a steam reforming system 60 to generate steam for the steam reforming system 60. As the H₂O stream 54 comprises an elevated temperature after passage from the anode outlet 42, the H₂O stream may be reformed into steam for utilization in the steam reforming system 60 with a reduced energy requirement compared to new virgin water from a municipal tap or reservoir. Additionally, utilizing the recycled H₂O from the anode 22 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 reduces load and demand on any existing steam plant within the facility. In an embodiment, the steam reforming system 60 generates the syngas feed 16 to the hydrogen plant 10 from a feed of methane and H₂O.

In some embodiments, the method for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility may further include boosting the pressure of the H₂O stream 54 from the separator 50 before introduction to the steam reforming system 60. A pressure boosting unit 70 increases the pressure of the recycled H₂O from the anode outlet 42 before introduction to the steam reforming system 60. The pressure is boosted because the inlet pressure of a steam reformer system 60 is typically elevated above atmospheric pressure. The H₂O stream 54 produced in the anode 22 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 is substantially at atmospheric pressure and the captured H₂O from the separator 50 is also substantially at atmospheric pressure. In various embodiments, the pressure boosting unit 70 increases the pressure of the recycled H₂O 54, heated into a vapor as steam, to at least 550 psi, at least 600 psi, at least 700 psi, or at least 800 psi before introduction to the steam reformer system 60.

In one or more embodiments, the method for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility may further include providing the cathode exhaust stream 30 to the steam reforming system 60 to fuel a burner in the steam reforming system 60. The cathode exhaust stream 30 comprises residual hydrocarbons which may be burned as fuel in the burners of the steam reforming system 60. The cathode exhaust stream 30 when burned in the burners of the steam reforming system 60 generates heat which may be utilized to heat up the steam reforming system 60 and maintain an elevated temperature of the steam reforming system 60. For example, residual methane or hydrogen in the cathode exhaust stream 30 may each be burned resulting in a reduction in fuel needed from an external fuel source as well as reducing waste products from the overall process of capturing high-purity CO₂.

In one or more embodiments, constituents of the CO₂ rich stream 14 are oxidized in the cathode 24 of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20. For example, CH₄, H₂, CO, or combinations thereof may be oxidized with the O₂ 18 in the cathode 24. Oxidation of constituents of the CO₂ rich stream 14 generates heat to raise and maintain the temperature of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 to a molten carbonate fuel cell operating temperature. In one or more embodiments, the molten carbonate fuel cell operating temperature is in the range of 600° C. to 700° C.

In embodiments, an auxiliary fuel may be utilized to heat up the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 to the molten carbonate fuel cell operating temperature. In one embodiment, the auxiliary fuel may be utilized to power an external burner to generate heat in the molten carbonate fuel cell 20. In a further embodiment, the auxiliary fuel may be provided into the cathode 24 for oxidation with the O₂ 18 in the cathode 24 to generate heat. The auxiliary fuel may be any of a variety of hydrocarbons, including H₂, CH₄, CO, or combinations thereof.

Arithmetic Example

The method for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility reduces CO₂ emissions from the hydrocarbon facility as well as generates electrical power. A hydrogen plant 10 operating as a pressure swing adsorption system capable of processing 100,000 cubic meters per hour (m³/hr) of a gas mixture is assumed. The gas mixture is assumed to have a composition of 72.5% H₂ on a volume basis, 20% CO₂, 0.6% CO, 5.5% CH₄, and 1.4% H₂O. For purposes of this example, it is believed the pressure swing adsorption system would recover 90% of the H₂ fed to the system with a 99.9% purity. The remaining constituents of the gas mixture feed would be purged into a bottoms product fed to the molten carbonate fuel cell cathode 24 after mixing with air. In this hypothetical case to demonstrate the utility of the disclosed method, a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 129,000 tons/year would be expected based on the capture and recovery in the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 as a pure CO₂ stream 52. Additionally, the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 would be expected to generate 20 megawatts (MW) of power from operation. The generated power equates to a savings in approximately 2.45×10⁹ standard cubic feet per year (SCFY) of fuel such as natural gas. The steam generated in operation of the molten carbonate fuel cell 20 would also provide approximately 134×10³ tons/year of steam savings not required to alternatively be produced. It is estimated that such savings in fuel and steam generation equates to approximately 2,000,000 US dollars (USD) per year.

It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Thus it is intended that the specification cover the modifications and variations of the various embodiments described herein provided such modifications and variations come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility, the method comprising: operating a hydrogen plant to generate a hydrogen stream and a CO₂ rich stream with a CO₂ concentration above 25%; introducing the hydrogen stream into an anode of a molten carbonate fuel cell; reacting CO₂ from the CO₂ rich stream and O₂ within the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to produce carbonate; reacting carbonate from the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell with H₂ within the anode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to produce an anode exhaust stream, the anode exhaust stream comprising CO₂ and H₂O; separating the CO₂ in the anode exhaust stream in one or more separators to form a pure CO₂ stream and a H₂O stream, the pure CO₂ stream having a purity of 80% to 100% on a molar basis; and collecting the pure CO₂ stream.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen stream comprises at least 95% hydrogen gas.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing the H₂O stream from the separator to a steam reforming system to generate steam for the steam reforming system.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises boosting the pressure of the H₂O stream from the separator before introduction to the steam reforming system.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a cathode exhaust stream to the steam reforming system to fuel a burner in the steam reforming system with residual hydrocarbons in the cathode exhaust stream.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen plant is a pressure swing adsorption system.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen plant comprises an absorber and a stripper to separate CO₂ from H₂.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the steam reforming system generates syngas from methane and H₂O as a feed stream to the hydrogen plant.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the separator condenses the H₂O from the anode exhaust stream to form the pure CO₂ stream and the H₂O stream.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein CH₄, H₂, CO, or combinations thereof in the CO₂ rich stream are oxidized in the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to generate heat to raise the temperature of the molten carbonate fuel cell to a molten carbonate fuel cell operating temperature.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the molten carbonate fuel cell operating temperature is in the range of 600° C. to 700° C.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the O₂ introduced into the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell is provided as an air stream.
 13. A system for capturing high-purity CO₂ in a hydrocarbon facility, the system comprising: a hydrogen plant to generate a hydrogen stream at a hydrogen stream outlet and a CO₂ rich stream with a CO₂ concentration above 25% at a CO₂ rich stream outlet; a molten carbonate fuel cell comprising an anode, a cathode, and a molten carbonate electrolyte; and a separator; wherein: the hydrogen stream outlet is operatively connected to the anode of a molten carbonate fuel cell; the CO₂ rich stream outlet is operatively connected to the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell; an O₂ source stream is operatively connected to the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell; the molten carbonate fuel cell is configured for reaction of CO₂ from the hydrogen plant and O₂ from the O₂ source stream within the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to produce carbonate; the molten carbonate fuel cell is configured for reaction of the carbonate from the cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell with H₂ from the hydrogen plant within the anode of the molten carbonate fuel cell to produce an anode exhaust stream from an anode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell, the anode exhaust stream comprising CO₂ and H₂O; and the separator comprises a separator inlet operatively connected to the anode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell, a pure CO₂ outlet, and a water outlet, the separator configured to separate the anode exhaust stream to form a pure CO₂ stream and a H₂O stream, the pure CO₂ stream having a purity of 80% to 100% on a molar basis.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the hydrogen stream comprises at least 95% hydrogen gas.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the O₂ source stream is atmospheric air.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the system further comprises a steam reforming system operatively connected to the water outlet of the separator configured to provide the H₂O stream from the separator to the steam reforming system to generator stream for the steam reforming system.
 17. The system of claim 16, the system further comprises a pressure boosting unit configured to raise the pressure of the H₂O stream from the separator before introduction to the steam reforming system.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the steam reforming system is further operatively connected to a cathode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell configured to provide a cathode exhaust stream to the steam reforming system to fuel a burner in the steam reforming system with residual hydrocarbons in the cathode exhaust stream.
 19. The system of claim 16, wherein the steam reforming system is operatively connected to the hydrogen plant to generate syngas from methane and H₂O as a feed stream to the hydrogen plant.
 20. The system of claim 13, wherein the hydrogen plant is a pressure swing adsorption system. 